Weed NFTs Explained: What’s the Point of Weed NFTs?

Twisted Tree Frog Massive, PotPunks, Blazed Cats, Cannasaurs – are these whimsically named NFT projects just expensive weed toys for crypto brothers or a new way of life for stoners on the blockchain? Let’s investigate.

The future of weed is in the mAPP

What is an NFT?

Before we dive into the world of weed and cybercurrency, what exactly is an NFT?

Consider it original digital art collected in a crypto wallet. NFT stands for “non-fungible token” and non-fungible means something that cannot be exchanged for something else. For example, you can trade one dollar for another dollar, but a limited edition photo print that is numbered and signed cannot be traded for that exact print.

And it’s not just art that drives enthusiasts to collect. The digital collections – typically featuring stylized, color-saturated illustrations of visibly baked caricatures – have a utility attributed to the NFT. Outreach programs can range from memberships in exclusive communities, invitations to meet up in exotic cannabis-friendly locations (like the Cannabis Crypto Club) to monetary donations to cannabis advocacy groups like The Last Prisoner Project and The Redemption Foundation. Film photography, multiplayer gaming, and other iconic niches have also found a home in the NFT world, which features highly engaged communities on Twitter and Discord for creators and collectors alike.

Promoting community through cannabis and NFTs

The Crypto Cannabis Club, the unofficial gold standard and the largest canna NFT community, sold its first mint of 10,000 digital art tokens – cheekily dubbed “NFTokers” – shortly after its much-anticipated launch in August 2021. The goal? According to the CCC website, “To bring the most exclusive cannabis experiences in the Metaverse and the real world to the NFT owners in our community.”

True to his word, membership benefits include experience-based perks like invites to his recent soiree at the Astor Club during NFT NYC, Metaverse real estate and a play-to-earn (P2E) game, as well as discounts on physical products from over two dozen partner cannabis companies. and accessory brands, as well as CCC’s own signature floral line.

However, the greatest benefit and perhaps the reason for the project’s unbridled success lies in the highly committed community of owners. In addition to CCC-sanctioned events like the meetups mentioned above, organically formed chapters host their own real-world events where members connect on a more intimate level, anywhere from Indianapolis to Los Angeles.

CEO Ryan Hunter explained that stoners are “used to a very authentic community. For years we’ve had to make sure the people we surround ourselves with are people we can trust…so we’re really trying to bring that into these virtual communities.”

Although Ethereum has lost up to 75% of its value this quarter, the Crypto Cannabis Club’s robust virtual community continues to gain momentum. According to Hunter, “We’ve seen our community grow over the past month or two because while many other communities have become panic rooms or toxic in virtual spaces like Discord and Twitter, we’ve really created a positive space.” On Discord the year-old Crypto Cannabis Club server has amassed over 12,000 new community members in the past two months alone, bringing their current tally to around 35,000.

International reggae sensation and BAYC owner Collie Buddz has a simpler approach to uniting his fan base of crypto stoners through the Twisted Tree Frog Massive, a collection of 5,555 psychedelic NFTs depicting stoned tree frogs. According to the artist, “We like to drink and smoke there in Bermuda,” hence the “twisted” name. A tribute to the native species in its home country, these fan-centric “concert pals” offer benefit through prizes, with 5% of all net sales going to a charity of the TTFM community’s choice.

The future of art, weed and NFTs

Focusing heavily on the creative side of the project, TTFM brought in Canadian surrealist artist Blair Goudie – aka Fresh Prints of Bel-Air – to create the collection of pot-loving, partying amphibians. Known for his melty, dripping iterations of classic ’90s comic and cartoon characters, Goudie combined his unique style with classic stoner motifs of cannabis leaves, a rainbow color palette and smoking paraphernalia to bring the intoxicating art to life.

Collie Buddz said that notwithstanding the recent market volatility, “NFTs are the way of the future. Your favorite dispensary is definitely going to release an NFT sometime in the next five years…which will include tools for getting discounts, exclusive flavors and all sorts of stuff.”

A step beyond traditional arts-based NFT projects, play-to-earn games like agronomy PvP WEEDGANG encourage community and add value through token-based play. A cannabis growing experience that “pushes the boundaries of P2E game theory” by using “utility-based NFTs with a tokenomics model”. This simulation combines strategy and risk with real pheno hunting principles and game specific currency. The roadmap promises future perks like access to real clubs, events, and apparel deliveries, among other things.

WEEDGANG NFTs prioritize utility over looks and function primarily as pawns rather than art. Simulating a real-world cannabis growing experience, WEEDGANG players can ‘stake land’ and grow ‘crops’ – both NFTs based on authentic strains from real breeders that can be collected, bred and traded in-game. The personified plants are then placed in a gladiator-style battle royale, aptly named Strain Battles, where the growers face them off and the winner takes home the other’s plants.

bottom line

Despite the unstable nature of decentralized currencies, NFTs and the communities that started them are going nowhere. And they all have one thing in common: tangible experiences and human interaction. Driven by the need to connect in a post-quarantine world, NFT communities provide a safe space for like-minded people to connect and support one another. Whether it’s a feeling, a friendship, or an event, these are the moments that keep NFT creators and collectors coming back.